5 essential tools for my youth group’s summer ministry

Besides the obvious items like a Bible and a first aid kit, here are some key pieces of equipment that will definitely get a lot of use this summer.

1. Video Camera. I have the Canon VIXIA HF100, which is great because it records in full 1080p HD quality, has outstanding image reproduction, records to SD cards and is about the size of a soda can. It was relatively cheap when I bought it, but now it costs almost twice as much. Not sure why, especially when the newer Canon VIXIA HF200 is a better camera for a cheaper price. Weird. But anyway, we all love capturing our favorite moments together on video and putting it on Facebook for all to share. Some youth workers swear by the mini Flip HD cameras that’s approximately the size of a deck of cards. For $129, it’s hard to go wrong.

2. iMovie. What good would the video camera be without a very simple, intuitive, user-friendly video editing program to make some quick modifications to make a professional-looking video? Although I have the higher-end Final Cut Express software, I hardly use it because iMovie does pretty much everything I need and more.

3. Digital camera. Video is cool and all, but still images have their place, too. Gotta have a digital camera around to snap quick poses, twisted facial expressions, and capture those unrepeatable moments. Plus, a photo you can hang up around your youth room or put on a bulletin board at church. Can’t quite do that with videos.

4. Swimming suit. Since a lot of people in our community live on lakes, it goes without saying that we’ll need bathing suits. In fact, we often get together to go water skiing, tubing, wake boarding, and more. We do it officially as a youth group one Sunday each month, but it definitely happens more than that on a more spontaneous level.

5. Xbox. For those rainy days when we’re all hanging out and stuck inside, the Xbox comes in handy. I don’t think I’ve met a teenager who wasn’t up for some Halo or Guitar Hero. When we hop on Xbox Live and compete against others, it’s like instant teamwork and comradery.

What equipment is essential for your ministry this summer? I asked this question on Twitter and Facebook and got a bunch of answers from some of you.

Jeff Greathouse: “air conditioning”

Tony Myles: “A car trunk full of athletic balls and cones.”

Sarah Webber: “spaghetti dinners”

Joshua Treece: “Orange game cones”

Summer Hamilton Brown: “water balloons”

Dale Wayman: “patience and tolerance”

Pastor Robbie: “diet mt dews, macbook, the message bible, megaphone, & college leaders to help hype up the youth”

If we don't have a Mac, and we can't use IMOVIE what would be a good inexpensive
program to edit clips.
Here is my youth website, and you can see I have a few videos, and the videos I made
I used Moviemaker but i wanted to get them to look alittle better, but I am a volunteer and
full time student and I am the Youth Director so money is hard.
Thanks,
Noah <a href="http://www.southsanyouthnews.tumblr.com” target=”_blank”>www.southsanyouthnews.tumblr.com

http://www.jessewatkins.com Jesse Watkins

Set of golf clubs and fishing rods. Getting outdoors and spending that one-on-one time with guys is awesome.

http://mic6-8.blogspot.com/ Benjer

Rainy Days? Ha, ha, not here in Utah. I'd agree with the Air Conditioning comment. I'd go with hiking boots and a Bible. I love taking advantage of our beautiful surroundings in the Rockies (I just moved from one side of the Rockies to the other). Whether it's an easy hike that almost all the youth can take part in or a backpacking trip, I'm a big believer in outdoor ministry.

http://chriskidd.co.uk/ Chris

Thanks for the highlight.

85% off!

Focused Youth Ministry

This practical "how to" ebook will walk you through a 30-step process to discovering God's vision for your unique ministry context. The process also shows you how to implement that vision and put metrics in place to evaluate what is moving the vision forward and what isn't.